24. Chapter 24 Harper Wedding
Suzanne
The first thing I notice is the lights.
They’re everywhere.
Strung between fence posts, wrapped around the old oak tree, draped along the edges of the barn like someone tried to capture starlight and hold it in place just for tonight. For us.
I stand just inside the open barn doors, fingers curled into the soft fabric of my dress, and try to steady my breathing.
It doesn’t work. Because beyond the lights… There are people. So many people.
The entire town of Whiskey Bend seems to have shown up, filling the ranch with laughter, voices, and the kind of warmth that presses against my chest in a way I don’t quite know how to handle.
“They like you, you know.”
I glance to my left, where Willa, Tammy, and Holly are fussing with a loose strand of my hair like it personally offended them.
“I think they like the idea of free food,” I mutter.
They snorted. “Please. This is better than free food. This is drama, romance, and a Harper wedding. They’re living for it.”
My lips twitch despite the nerves buzzing under my skin.
“Another Harper wedding,” I repeat quietly. The words feel surreal. Like they don’t quite belong to me yet.
Willa softens, catching the shift in my tone. Her hand squeezes my shoulder.
“Hey,” she says gently. “You belong here. Don’t overthink it.”
I nod, even though overthinking is exactly what I’m doing.
Because this isn’t just a wedding. This is me choosing something. A life, a family, and Him.
Voices rise from outside as someone laughs loudly, Jett, probably, and the sound pulls my attention back to the chaos unfolding across the ranch.
Nash is arguing with someone near the aisle, arms crossed like he’s conducting a security briefing instead of attending a wedding. Beau is directing people like he owns the place, which he does. Kids dart between chairs, weaving through the crowd like this is the best day of their lives.
And somehow… It doesn’t feel overwhelming.
It feels like being pulled into something bigger than myself. Something solid. Something real.
“Okay, but seriously,” Wills says, stepping back to inspect me. “If you cry, I’m crying. And if I cry, it’s going to be ugly.”
I huff out a small laugh. “Good to know the stakes are high.”
“Very.”
She grins, then leans in slightly. “Also, Cole looks like he’s about five seconds away from pacing a hole into the ground.”
My heart stutters. “He’s nervous?”
“Terrified,” she says with obvious delight. “It’s honestly my favorite thing I’ve ever seen.”
That does something to me. Because Cole doesn’t get nervous. He runs into burning buildings. He doesn’t hesitate. He doesn’t doubt. And yet…
Tonight matters enough to shake him. Just like it’s shaking me.
“Good,” I whisper, more to myself than her.
Willa’s grin widens like she heard exactly what I meant.
Behind us, the Harper brothers’ voices rise again, overlapping in a mess of sarcasm and half-argued instructions. Someone bumps into a chair. Someone else swears. Laughter follows immediately after.
Family.
My chest tightens, but not in fear this time. In something softer. Something that feels dangerously close to… home.
“You ready? ”Willa, Tammy, and Holly ask.
I take a breath. Then another. My hand drifts instinctively to my stomach, resting there for just a second. Grounding. Because this isn’t just about me anymore. It never was.
“I think so,” I say.
But even as the words leave my mouth, my pulse spikes again, nerves curling tight in my chest.
What if I trip? What if I say the wrong thing? What if…
“Nope.” Willa cuts in like she can hear my thoughts. “We are not doing that.” I blink at her. “Doing what?”
“Spiraling.” She points a finger at me. “You’re marrying my brother, who would literally run into fire for you. You’re carrying a baby he already loves like it’s his own. And this entire town showed up because they believe in you two.”
She softens, her voice lowering just enough. “You don’t get to doubt this,” she says.
The words settle deep. Not heavy. Certain.
I swallow, my throat tight for an entirely different reason now. “Okay,” I whisper. Because she’s right. Because I’ve spent so long surviving that I don’t always know what to do with something good.
But this… This is good.
Outside, the music starts, soft and slow, and the crowd begins to shift, people taking their seats as the moment we’ve been building toward finally settles into place.
Holly, Beau's wife, squeezes my hand once before stepping back.
“That's your cue,” they say.
I nod, my heart racing as I take a small step forward. Then another.
The lights glow brighter as I move closer to the aisle, the sound of voices fading into a low hum behind the music.
And for just a second. Right before everything changes, I let myself feel it.
The nerves. The happiness. The terrifying, beautiful certainty that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.
Cole
“I am standing still.” “I’m breathing.” I drag a hand down my face and glare at Nash, who looks entirely too satisfied with himself for someone who’s been hovering over me like a drill sergeant for the last ten minutes. “This is a wedding,” I tell him. “Not a tactical op.”
“It’s both,” he says without missing a beat. “High stakes. Limited margin for error.”
Jett snorts from behind me. “Yeah, really dangerous. Might trip over a flower arrangement.”
“Or say the wrong thing,” Beau adds, adjusting his cufflinks like he’s not enjoying this way too much. “Or forget the vows. Or pass out.”
I shoot him a look. “I’m not going to pass out.”
“Good,” Jett says. “Because we’ve got bets going.”
I pause. “You have bets?”
“Small ones,” he says, holding his fingers an inch apart. “Very respectful.” “Define respectful.” “Under a hundred bucks.”
I stare at him. Then at Beau. Then at Nash. None of them looks even remotely sorry. “Unbelievable,” I mutter.
Nash steps closer, straightening my collar with more force than necessary. “You’ll survive.”
“I always do,” I say automatically. But the words don’t land the same. Because this isn’t something I survive. This is something I chose. And that difference is enough to make my pulse feel just a little off-beat.
“Are you nervous?” Jett asks, too casually.
“No.”
Three sets of eyes narrow at me.
“Liar,” Beau says. “Terrible liar,” Nash adds. “Historically bad at it,” Jett finishes.
I exhale sharply. “I’m not nervous.”
“Then what are you?” Nash asks.
I hesitate. And that’s all it takes for them to know they’ve got me.
“Focused,” I say finally.
Jett barks out a laugh. “Yeah, okay.”
Beau shakes his head. “You look like you’re about to run into a burning building.”
“That’s because I know how to handle that,” I shoot back.
“And this?” Nash asks quietly.
That lands. Because they all know. This is different. There’s no training for this. No protocol. No guarantee I can fix it if something goes wrong.
I glance out toward the ranch, where the lights glow against the fading daylight, where people are settling into their seats, where everything is waiting.
For me. For her.
“For the record,” Jett says, clapping a hand on my shoulder, “she’s already halfway down the aisle in her head. You don’t get to bail now.”
“I’m not bailing.”
“Good,” Beau says. “Because the entire town showed up.”
I huff out a breath. “I noticed.”
“No, I mean it,” he continues, more serious now. “Every single person out there? They’re here for you two.”
I follow his gaze. See the crowd gathering.
Feel the weight of it. Not pressure, but support. Something solid at my back.
Nash steps in front of me then, his expression shifting just enough to cut through the noise.
“You sure about this?” he asks, not joking or teasing but protective.
I meet his eyes. “I’ve never been more sure of anything,” I say. The words come easily. Certain. Because they’re true. Because every step that brought me here, every fire, every risk, every moment I didn’t think I deserved something like this, it all led to her. To this.
Nash studies me for a second longer. Then nods once. “Alright,” he says. “Then don’t screw it up.”
Jett grins. “Inspiring.” Beau rolls his eyes.
I shake my head, but there’s something lighter in my chest now. Something steady.
The music shifts outside, the signal that it’s time. Everything in me locks into place. It’s not fear, not hesitation, but decision.
I straighten, rolling my shoulders once before heading toward the aisle.
“Hey,” Jett calls after me. “If you cry, I’m telling everyone.” I don’t turn around. “Try it,” I mutter. But there’s a smile pulling at my mouth as I step into the light. Because for once, I’m not walking into something dangerous. I’m walking into something that feels like home.
Suzanne
I hear him before I see him.
A soft bark. Then another.
Then…
Chaos.
My head turns just as Smokey barrels into view at the start of the aisle, a ribbon tied loosely around his neck and a small pouch hanging from his collar that is very clearly supposed to contain the rings. Supposed to.
Instead, he’s wagging so hard his entire body moves with it, tongue lolling, eyes bright, completely oblivious to the carefully planned moment he’s currently destroying.
“Oh no,” I whisper.
A ripple of laughter moves through the crowd as Smokey stops halfway down the aisle… and then promptly veers off course.
Straight toward Mrs. Langley.
“Smokey!” someone calls. He ignores it. Of course he does.
He’s too busy greeting every single person like this were a social event designed specifically for him.
Smokey makes it to the second row, accepts enthusiastic scratches from three different people, then spins in a circle like he just remembered he has a job to do.
Only… he doesn’t come back toward the aisle.
He heads in the opposite direction.
“Okay, that’s not right,” Jett mutters somewhere near the front.
“Get the dog,” Nash says flatly.
“Not it,” Beau replies immediately.
The crowd laughs louder now, the tension of the moment breaking open into something warm and easy and completely, perfectly imperfect.